NB! Information about the expedition to Kyrgyzstan in June-July 2025 is presented on this page only. All other pages of this website refer to another event - the summer school for students in August 2025.

2025 EXPEDITION TO KYRGYZSTAN (25exKG)

In June-July 2025 we plan to organize and conduct a professional expedition across Kyrgyzstan, through different belts of mountains of Northern and Central Tian Shan at altitudes from 600 to 4100 meters above sea level. The belts planned for exploration range from stony desert to tundra and some glaciers.

The expedition will also include the pearl of Kyrgyzstan, the magnificent Lake Issyk-Kul, located at an altitude of 1607 meters above sea level. It is the seventh deepest and second largest high-altitude lake in the world.

Highlights of the planned expedition

The optimum duration is three weeks. The best period for the expedition is late June to early July.

Timing

The preliminary agreed dates: departure from Germany to Istanbul on June 14 (Saturday) and arrival to Bishkek on June 15 (Sunday) at 08:55 a.m.; return flight from Bishkek on July 5 at 10:20 a.m.

Route

The total distance of the expedition will be approximately 1200 to 1600 km in 21 days depending on the expedition program and route.

The preliminary route of the expedition will be closer to the one shown on the picture below. Some changes are possible depending on the interests of the participants (at least majority of participants) and will be discussed before April 2025 when the group of participants will be formed.

Transportation
We will use Mercedes Sprinter minibuses for people’s transportation. Personal luggage, common expedition equipment, kitchen utensils and food supply will be transported by a truck.

Accommodation, facilities, amenities

It is important to note that during the expedition we deliberately refuse hotels, guesthouses and public campgrounds in order to immerse ourselves deeper into the local environment and better feel at one with nature.

During the expedition we will visit several cities, medium and small towns, but only for a few hours. But most of the time we will spend in nature.

Therefore, we will sleep in tents mostly by rivers or lakes in picturesque places of “wild” (not public) campsites. Bathing and toilet facilities will also correspond to “wild” campsites. Although two hot springs are planned to be visited.

For personal accommodation you will need to bring your own personal tent and sleeping bag.

But we will provide you with expedition equipment for common use: all kitchen equipment, cooking utensils, individual dishware for each expedition member, a large common table for eating, a large tent over this table and so on.

Meals

Throughout the expedition, the group will be accompanied by a kitchen team (3 people) who will provide you with meals three times a day. Of these, two meals (breakfast and dinner) will be hot meals. Lunch will most often be in the form of buffet if we are traveling by minibuses during the day, or lunch boxes if we are trekking or hiking.

As the cooks are ethnic Uzbeks, the meals will be both Kyrgyz and Uzbek; some European dishes are also possible. Vegetarians will also be provided with appropriate food. The kitchen team will do their best to maximize your dietary preferences on site as much as possible in the field conditions. This will give us flexibility and independence from public catering establishments.

Educational component and scientific guides of the expedition

The main scientific guide of the expedition is a professor of one of the research institutes of the Academy of Sciences, a brilliant geobotanist and ecologist. He also has extensive knowledge of geography and landscape science. The second guide is a specialist in soil science, in particular soil chemistry.

Educational activities in the form of short-term field workshops will take place almost every day at several planned locations, as well as at spontaneous locations/stops along the expedition route, if the participants are interested.

Although the main focus of the expedition lies in the field of natural sciences, a cultural and historical program and an insight into local life are also planned, such as visits to various settlements, monuments, open-air markets, agricultural fields, fruit orchards, etc.

Confirmation letter to prove your expedition costs

As this is not a tourist trip, but an educational expedition, i.e. it serves to broaden your educational horizons and improve your professional skills, you will receive a letter confirming your participation in the expedition and proof of your financial expenses in Kyrgyzstan (except for the flight).

This letter of confirmation will be written on the official letterhead of the Institute of Chemistry and Phytotechnology of the National Asademy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan and signed by a senior researcher of the scientific-production department of this Institute, who is one of the organizers of this expedition.

An example of such a letter can be found here.

On the basis of this letter you can get a significant tax deduction in Germany.

Requirements for participants' physical condition and outdoor experience
Since we realize that most of the potential participants of our expedition are a little over 20 years old ☺, we have planned the route of our expedition in such a way that in almost every place there are several alternatives for physical activity of different intensity (trekking, hiking etc).

The area that requires relatively increased physical activity is in the vicinity of the Barskoon Gorge at altitudes of about 4000 m. But even in this location we have 3 options of different activities: from the option to return to the base camp on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul after visiting the glacier (almost all the way to which you can reach by minibus), to the option to stay overnight at an altitude of about 3800 m and the next day to make an ascent to one of glaciers in the area.

In short, expedition participants can be of varying physical fitness.

But here is what is very important: participants must have some outdoor experience. I.e. participants must be ready to spend 21 days in relatively “wild” conditions: sleeping in tents, “survive” without warm showers, comfortable toilets and other amenities of civilization.

Target participants

People with a background in ecology, geobotany, botany, landscape science, physical geography, soil science and agriculture are welcome. Also welcome are people interested in nature in the broad sense of the word, lovers of flowers, birds, enthusiasts of photography of natural objects.

Important: some outdoor experience is highly desirable (see above).

The expedition program does not require much physical exertion. However, for individual hiking enthusiasts, of course, there will be an opportunity to do so. The estimated number of participants is about 15 people.

Finalized route and daily schedule

We will finalize the route and daily schedule of the expedition when the number of participants and their main interests are known. For example, we will discuss whether you are interested in seeing examples of local agriculture, or some cultural historical sites, or focusing 50% of the expedition time in the highlands.

If there are 15 participants, we will be able to rent 2 minibuses and then we will be able to split the group into two subgroups of interest on certain days.

In general: we will do our best to meet the individual interests of each participant, but where this is not possible we will follow the interests of the majority.

Expedition fee
It depends on the number of participants, the exchange rate of Euro to Som (the currency of Kyrgyzstan) and the general price level in the country. The fee will be finalized after the group of participants is formed, and after final approval of the route and schedule of the expedition, presumably in April 2025.

For your information, the cost of a 23-day excursion to Kyrgyzstan in August 2024 amounted to 1460 EUR. But in this case the number of participants was 31 people.

Flights
From your nearest airport in Germany, get to Istanbul and then to Bishkek. There are daily flights from Istanbul to Bishkek and they are relatively inexpensive.

Visa
You do not need a visa to travel to Kyrgyzstan.

Registration
You do not need to register with the Kyrgyz migration service if you stay in the country for less than 30 days.

Yellow line = basic route

Blue line = possible additional route section that may be excluded or included

Red line = possible additional route section that may be excluded or included